Computer Hardware Flashcards
What is responsible for processing all information from programs run in your computer?
CPU (Central Processing Unit)
The speed at which your processor processes information is measured in what?
Gigahertz (GHz)
What hardware is found in the memory slots of the motherboard?
Random-Access Memory (RAM)
What is responsible for temporary storing information created by programs and to do so in a way that makes data easily accessible?
RAM
Rendering images, editing video and multitasking with multiple applications use what?
RAM
What device is responsible for storing permanent and temporary data?
Hard drive
What are the two different types of hard drives?
Traditional Hard Disk Drive (HDD)
Solid State Drives (SSD)
What works by writing binary data onto a spinning magnetic disks?
Traditional hard disk drive(HDD)
The magnetic disks that spin in a hard disk drive are called what?
Platters
What type of disk drive works by storing data using static flash memory chips?
Solid-state drives
What is important for 3D rendering and pro huge batches of graphic data?
Graphics Processor Unit(GPU)
Computer graphic cards have at least one what?
GPU
Dedicated graphics cards interface with the motherboard using what?
An expansion slot
The what is a printed circuit board that can be inserted into an electrical connector at the motherboard to add functionality to a computer system
Expansion card, expansion board, or accessory card
The what is a computer that moves information between the internal hardware and peripheral devices?
Expansion Bus
Generally, computer hardware contains what three major components?
1) central processing unit
2) storage
3) peripheral devices
What hardware supports data processing?
CPU
What hardware stores ephemeral programs and data for quick access in RAM?
Computer Memory
What hardware supports input and output operations of the computer?
Peripheral devices
What is another name for the IPOS model of computing?
Vonn Neumann Architecture
What is the electronic circuit responsible for executing computer program instructions?
CPU
The CPU consists of what three parts?
1) Arithmetic unit
2) control unit
3) processor register
What cpu part contains circuitry that performs operations on data?
Arithmetic logic unit (ALU)
Which part of the cpu contains circuitry coordinating the machine’s activity?
Control unit
What part of the CPU contains data storage cells called registers?
Processor register
What are the high-speed storage areas in the CPU called?
Registers
All data must be stored in a what in the CPU that serves as a temporary holding place while the data is being manipulated, holds the input of the ALU and stores the results?
Registers
To perform an operation on data stored in the main memory, the what transfers data from the main memory into the registers, informs the ALU which register holds the data, activates the ALU and tells which register should receive the results?
Control Unit
What register holds the memory location of data that needs to be accessed?
Memory Address Register
What register holds the data that is being transferred to or from the memory?
Memory data register (MDR)
What register holds the ALU results?
Accumulator(AC)
What register holds the address of the next program instruction to be executed?
Program Counter (PC)
What register holds the current instruction during processing?
Current Instruction Register (CRI)
What memory unit is sometimes referred to as primary or main memory?
RAM
What type of memory is known as secondary?
Hard drive
What is the term for how the data stored in RAM is lost when the computer is powered off?
Ephemeral
RAM is split into what that consist of an address and contents in binary form?
Partition
The RAM blank uniquely identifies the every location in the memory?
Address
In addition to RAM, what type of memory stores instructions for crucial system activities, including booting up the system and initializing different computer components?
Read-Only Memory (ROM)
What is the term for various units that support the input and output functions of the unit?
Peripheral devices
What is the term for the wires that serve as electrical roadways, transmitting information between the CPU and other components?
Buses or bus lines
The size of the what is related to the amount of data that can be transmitted at once?
Buses
Instructions are sent through what to the CPU and include how to process data and which components to use?
Bus lines
What are the three different types of buses?
1) address buses
2) data buses
3) control buses
Which bus carries the destination address where the data is assigned to process?
Address buses
Which bus carries the data between the processor, the memory unit and the input/output devices?
Data buses
Which bus carries control commands from the CPU controls and coordinates all activities within the computer system?
Control buses
What are the three names for the unit that encases various components like the motherboard, CPU, RAM, power supply and other internally installed components?
System unit, tower, or chassis
What is the name for the main circuit board for the computer containing soldered components that cannot be removed and sockets or slots for components that can be removed?
Motherboard
What type is storage is volatile, meaning it can be lost when powered down?
RAM
What type of storage is nonvolatile meaning it keeps the content whether the system is on or off?
ROM
What is the brain of the computer?
CPU
What sends out a pulse of electricity at regular intervals in order to operate the electronic components?
System clock
System speed is measured in what two measurement?
Megahertz and gigahertz
What unit of measurement converts to millions of pulses per seconds?
Megahertz
What measurement converts to billions of pulses per second?
Gigahertz
What is the term for sockets on the motherboard where expansion cards can be installed?
Expansion slots
What is the term for sockets that allow cables to be plugged in without opening the system?
Ports
What does USB stand for?
Universal Serial Bus
What type of storage holds data and information permanently?
Secondary storage
Floppy, hard drives, magnetic tape, and optical discs are examples of what?
Secondary storage
What is the smallest unit of storage that is set to 0 or 1?
Bit
A group of 8 bits forms a what?
Byte
Computer storage is often measured in what three measurements?
Megabytes (mb), gigabytes (gb), and terabytes (tb)
A medium sized novel contains about what size of memory?
1 mb
1 gigabyte is how many megabytes
1024
1 terabyte is how many gigabytes
1024
1 petabyte is how many terabytes
1024
What type of devices translate data into a form that the computer can understand?
Input devices
Mouses and trackballs are called what kind of devices?
Pointing devices
What type of devices allow a computer to send and receive data to and from other computers?
Communication devices
What sends information over a phone line or coaxial cable?
Modems
What sends information over dedicated network cables?
Network card
What are the four types of computers?
Supercomputers
Mainframe computers
Workstation
Microcomputer
What is the biggest and fastest computers designed to process huge amounts of data ?
Supercomputers
What type of computers are designed to support hundreds or thousands of users simultaneously?
Mainframe computers
What type of computer is designed for a single-user that generally performs a specific job with great expertise?
Workstation
What type of computer is more commonly known as a personal computer?
Microcomputer
